A 36-year-old man from Poland mysteriously lost his ability to sweat, shed all his body hair, and developed vitiligo—a skin condition that causes patches of lost skin color—only to later discover that his condition was caused by his red ink tattoos. In a case report, researchers found that the man developed a severe allergic reaction to the tattoo ink, a reaction experienced by around 6 percent of people. His condition improved only after the red ink tattoo was removed and he was treated with immunosuppressive drugs, although the damage to his sweat glands remains. “In light of this case, there is a growing recognition of the need for regulations governing tattoo ink composition,” wrote the man’s doctors from Wroclaw Medical University in Poland. In 2022, after the man received his tattoo, the European Union introduced legislation restricting the use of dangerous chemicals in tattoo ink. Though researchers were unable to sample the red ink from the man’s tattoo, Yolanda Hedberg, a chemist at Western University who was part of a 2021 study on tattoo inks, told CDC that certain tattoo dyes—such as red ink—contain azo dyes that increase the risk of allergic reactions, as some azo dyes are mutagens and carcinogens.
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